Tottenham Staged an Impressive Comeback to Beat Aston Villa 4-1
Tottenham delivered a thrilling 4-1 comeback win over Aston Villa on Sunday, overcoming an early deficit with a dominant second-half performance that keeps their top-four ambitions alive.
The home crowd at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium saw a strong response from Ange Postecoglou’s side, who transformed a sluggish first half into an exciting goal-fest after the break.
Villa manager Unai Emery praised his side’s disciplined first-half display but acknowledged that Tottenham’s energy shift ultimately decided the game. “We started the match like we were planning. At half-time, the plan for the second half was to try to keep it,” he told BBC Sport. “They scored the first goal. We had chances to score a second goal, but they were pushing... we accepted the result.”
Villa’s Morgan Rogers gave his team an early edge with a well-taken goal in the 32nd minute, punishing Spurs on a set-piece scramble. The visitors could have doubled their lead when Amadou Onana’s header struck the post shortly after. But Villa’s slim lead was wiped out just four minutes after halftime, as Brennan Johnson netted Tottenham’s equalizer from a pinpoint cross by Son Heung-min.
Postecoglou acknowledged the first half was a “bit of an arm wrestle” with Villa but praised his squad’s response after the break. “Villa are a good side... but we have other gears in us which we showed in the second half,” he reflected.
Dominic Solanke took charge from there, scoring twice in quick succession. His first goal—a delicate chip over Villa goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez from a Dejan Kulusevski assist—was soon followed by a second after Richarlison fed him with a through ball.
Solanke’s clinical finishes energised the team and delighted the fans, with Postecoglou noting, “Unbelievable effort. His goals are fantastic, but it’s his general play and work rate that make him invaluable. Seven days ago I was a grumpy old so and so, but we made sure not to feel sorry for ourselves.”
Son, recently back from injury, was subbed off shortly after assisting Johnson’s goal, a cautious move Postecoglou explained. “He was never going to play more than 55 minutes,” he said. “Last time he came back from injury, he got to the 60-minute mark and got injured again.”
James Maddison then put the final seal on the comeback, curling in a beautiful free-kick deep into stoppage time to make it 4-1, mirroring Tottenham’s recent win against West Ham. This result lifts Spurs to seventh in the league, just two points shy of the top four and still within reach of their Champions League goal.
Reflecting on the bigger picture, Postecoglou added, “Seven days is a long time in football… we stayed true to the course we’re on, and today showed the team we want to be.”
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